Jasper looking for inspiration vs. Gilmer

Most folks might argue having to play the No. 1 team in Class 3A to open the playoffs could be a sign that it just isn't your year.

Jasper coach Mike Bickham doesn't look at it that way. In fact, he thinks having to play Gilmer to open the playoffs is a good thing.

"The way I put it to our kids is that we were chosen to play this game," said Bickham, who guided Jasper to an 8-2 mark in his first season. "God did not do this because we are weak, he did it because we are strong."

Taking that mindset has become pretty common for Bickham and Jasper this season because after all, they opened the season against, yeah, you guessed it, Gilmer.

Jasper held Gilmer, who started the season as No. 1, to an 8-7 halftime lead before losing 42-14. But it wasn't like Jasper had a cakewalk of a schedule from there. In its second game of the season Jasper defeated Kirbyville, when it was ranked the No. 4 team in Class 2A. And then in Jasper's third game, it went out and handed West Orange-Stark its first regular season loss in three years. At the time WO-S was the No. 3 team in Class 3A and had been predicted by Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine to win the Class 3A Division II state title.

Then Jasper beat longtime rival and District 21-3A champ Silsbee, and when it got to district play, it had to take on No. 2 Carthage, which won District 18-3A.

Now imagine having to play all those teams while installing a new offense, a new defense and fielding 15 or so starters that prior to this season had never played a down of varsity football.

This is explains why Bickham has told his team God gave them strength, because an argument can be made that this has been a miracle season for Jasper, which finished 4-6 last season.

"We've had our ups and our downs this season but we've overcome mountain after mountain," Bickham said. "I think we are better now than we were then. Obviously, I am not going to say goofy stuff because obviously Gilmer is better, too. But once again we have come a long way."

Just to give you the rundown on Gilmer, it's pretty cut and dry.

Gilmer runs a spread offense that has been so effective it's scored 554 points, which is the most points scored of any Class 3A team in the state. Mexia is second with 464 points.

Not to mention Gilmer has four Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I) prospects on its team.

Two of them have committed to Missouri and the other one has committed to Oklahoma State, according to Rivals.com a Web site dedicated to recruiting.

Bickham said Gilmer's offense is notorious for having at least four receivers on the field while its defense is loaded with speed.

And yet with all that facing Jasper in the first round, Bickham has told his team to keep the faith.

"There are opportunities that come along in your life and there are moments you will remember for the rest of your life and this is one of them," Bickham said. "To be in the position to upset the No. 1 team in the state, we told our kids they have the opportunity to make it happen."